


Chimera

by Sinistretoile



Category: James Bond (Classic movies), James Bond (Movies), James Bond (Movies) RPF, James Bond - All Media Types, James Bond - Ian Fleming
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Anal, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Betrayal, Blow Jobs, Cunnilingus, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Sex, Excessive Drinking, F/M, Face-Fucking, Fucking, Genderbending, Kissing, Mental Breakdown, Office Sex, Porn with Feelings, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Surprise Ending, Surprise Kissing, Unresolved Sexual Tension, What A Twist!, unprotected sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-07-11 20:41:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7069174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinistretoile/pseuds/Sinistretoile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James Bond is given her first assignment in the 00 program, get close to twin arms dealers Richard and Rodney Steele.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gender bent Bond. Her name is still James. Richard and Rodney Steele are inspired by (cast if you will) Tom Hiddleston.

M strode quickly down the hall to his office at MI6. He checked his watch, cursing under his breath. The committee meeting ran long, as always. But it was the outcome that frustrated him beyond words. Miss Moneypenny wasn’t at her desk as he burst through the door to his office atrium. Where the bloody hell was his secretary? Then he heard her laughter coming from his office.  
“Moneypenny, what are you-“  
She looked up, her brilliant smile fading. Her thin eyebrow rose as she took in his tension. “M, you’re late and I was merely entertaining James.” M received a shock to his system for the second time today as the blonde stunner rose from the chair and turned to him with her hand out. This loose cannon 007 agent wasn’t a hot-headed man. It was a woman! No doubt with something to prove. His shock faded quickly into assuming contempt.  
“My apologies for my tardiness, Miss Bond.” He shook her hand, noting the grip but thankful that she didn’t try to overcompensate by squeezing.  
“Accepted but not needed, M. Moneypenny’s been a delight.” She flashed a flirtatious smile over her shoulder the secretary. M swallowed, catching the way his secretary blushed. Anyone would have missed it underneath her mocha skin, but he knew her well. Apparently not well enough though.  
“Forgive my brusqueness, but-“ M settled in his chair, opening the dossier on James Bond, Ms. Not Mr. or Miss.  
“You had expected a man?” His head snapped up in frustrated embarrassment. “It’s alright. Most of my superiors and handlers see the name ‘James Bond’ and they very clearly think ‘man’.” She shrugged. "I use it to my full advantage."  
“I’m afraid so. Especially combined with your test scores. They are impressive.” She smirked then fought it down, tugging at the jacket. Marked with a man’s name, she dressed as one. M spared a glance to take in the bespoke suit. He’d have to ask her for her tailor. Her ample breasts didn’t ruin the line of the suit. Bloody hell, he was staring at her tits. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath then let it out slowly to focus.  
“Something the matter, M?”  
“Nothing, Ms. Bond.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose before he opened his eyes. “I’ll just get to the point. I’ve just come from a joint intelligence and enforcement committee meeting. They’re all a bunch of puffed up idiots who have no bloody idea how things run in the field. They’re all corrupt with their hands so deep in pockets and their heads so deep up their own arses.” James blinked then laughed. “What’s so funny, Bond?”  
“They’d warned me you were a bit of a strict, stuffed up old shirt. Either they’re wrong or you’re having a helluva day, friend.”  
“I think perhaps both of those statements are correct. Would you like a drink?”  
“No, thank you.” She plucked a coin from her breast pocket. “Sober.”  
“You’re a teetotaler then?”  
“’Fraid so, old man. But then you knew that.”  
M slowly smiled. “I did.”  
He left it open for her to explain. “It’s all in the file. My drinking problem, as well as the accident that nearly cost my career.”  
“Right.” M made as if to leaf through the pages. “Drinking problem, reformed. Some anger issues and excessive violence.”  
“Again, ‘fraid so. You can thank my father for the temper and the James. The drinking problem was my mother’s.”  
“And the excessive violence?”  
She grinned, a slow sweeping thing that began joyous then became seductive but ended with frightening. “That’s all my own.”  
“I’ll be honest with you, James. I’m not comfortable with your transfer.”  
“I’m not either, M.”  
M blinked and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. “Explain.”  
James unfurled her arms and sat forward. “I don’t like being used as a pawn in a power play.”  
“I’m not sure I follow.”  
“Your meeting. They want to kill the 00 program. I knew about it before my transfer was forced upon me. They want to make an example of me and use me to kill the program.” She tilted her head. “Or was that not what you were thinking?”  
“It was. A hot head with a drinking problem and anger issues known to use excessive violence? You’d be an idiot not to suspect something.”  
“I assure you, M. I haven’t touched a drop in over a year. I’m seeing the agency therapist as ordered.”  
“Good good.” M changed directions abruptly, waving away the conversation. “Your first assignment in London.” He handed her the file. “Rodney and Richard Steele, twin brothers on the fringe of London society, believed to be trafficking in illegal arms.”  
James opened the dossier. “Wait a minute…they’ve never been pictured together?” She flicked the two pictures, noting the identical looks and build but dressed differently.  
“Not since they were lads. After a boating accident, their parents grew paranoid that they’d both be killed and they were kept separate.”  
James flipped through the file. “Are you sure it was paranoia and not guilt? They divorced a few months after the accident.”  
“Who knows.”  
“So what’s the plan?”  
“The plan is for you to get as close as you can to either or both brothers and find out what you can about their smuggling operation.” James looked down at the file in her hands. The brothers appeared identical. “Moneypenny will give you the details and show you to Q. And James?”  
She hummed as she looked up. “I’m counting on you. Good luck.”  
“Thank you, sir.” She closed the file, but it didn’t take away the niggling feeling she had about the Steele brothers. James shook M’s hand again then took her leave. “Well, Miss Moneypenny, I believe you are to give me details and show me Q.”  
“I am.” James grinned as she detected a slight lisp in the secretary’s accent. She looked at her watch.  
“How about we grab a bite while you go over the details then we pop over to Q?”  
Moneypenny answered James’s grin with her own. “That sounds delightful.” James tucked the file under her arm and shoved her hands in her trouser pockets as she waited for Moneypenny to take care of her desk and grab her purse. She rocked back on her heels then followed the woman out. She spared a glance at M’s door over her shoulder, her grin falling. She’d have to be careful. Someone had set her and the 00 program up for failure. And she was dying to know who.


	2. Chapter 2

The afternoon sun shone brilliantly through the floor to ceiling windows. The lower section of one had been opened to allow the soft melody of the string quartet to drift in from the patio. It warred with the rise and fall of the murmurs of the party-goers.  
James impatiently tapped her clutch against her thigh. Q’s voice cut the stillness of the room from the silver disc in her ear. “Would you kindly knock it off, Bond? You’re incessant tapping is making the signal jump.”  
She smirked and spoke softly. “I do hope you don’t pay too close attention later then.” Q cleared his throat on the other end.  
“Mr. James Bond.” The baritone preceded the body of Rodney Steele into the office. James turned and smiled beautifully. He pulled up short.  
“Ms. actually.”  
Rodney switched tactics almost visibly. “Beg your pardon. I assumed with a name like James…” He let the natural supposition fill itself in.  
“Pardoned, good sir.” She shrugged. “My father wanted a son.” Which was the truth.  
“Well, I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Ms. Bond.”  
“How so?”  
“I thought I was meeting a man about a gun.” Rodney unbuttoned his vest and crossed to the wet bar.  
James leaned her ass up against the desk and crossed her legs. The snug skirt pulled tighter. “Does my being a woman change things?”  
“Not from my perspective. Your money still spends.” He sipped the fresh whiskey he’d poured. “My brother is a different animal.”  
“How so?”  
“Questions. You ask quite a lot, Ms. Bond.”  
“Call me curious. But they all pertain to the conversation, do they not?”  
Rodney gestured with his glass in her direction. “Right you are, curious.” She smiled, casting her head down at the floor then bringing it back. He met her gaze and not subtly licked his lips. “My brother is a connoisseur of women, Ms. Bond. He likes to taste and savor as many as possible.” His confident stride brought him in front of her. “And he will no doubt want to taste you.”  
James smirked. “And who is to say that I will want to be tasted?”  
His voice dropped as he laid the hand holding his glass on her knee. His fingers caressed the joint lazily. Rodney brushed a hair away from her throat. “You ask for a private meeting with my brother and or myself. You come baring the most delectable gifts.” He exaggerated his appraisal of her body. “Tight skirt with an ass like that.” He leaned closer. “A plunging neckline on breasts that are barely contained.” James swallowed. She might enjoy the carnal aspects of the mission after all. “Shining plump lips that beg to be taken.” She tilted her head back as he leaned in to do just that.  
Her finger stopped him. “I thought you said your brother was the connoisseur.”  
“He is. I’m merely the whore.” His lips murmured against her finger then drew it into his mouth. He sucked the elegant digit before brushing it with his teeth. Her lips parted.  
“Do you attempt to seduce all potential business partners in this way?”  
“I’m afraid not. They don’t look quite so delicious, Ms. Bond.”  
James trailed her hand down his center. She palmed his cock, surprised yet pleased by what she found there. His jaw set and he leaned in again. Her grip tightened past comfort. “If you want to fuck, we can fuck. But that has nothing to do with this deal.” Her grip tightened again, bringing him up onto his toes. “I need guns. A little birdie told me you and your brother had guns. If you don’t, this conversation is over. But do not think that simply because I’ve a cunt and not a prick that you can address me with any lack of respect. If you proposition me within the confines of a business meeting again, I will take my money elsewhere. Am I understood?”  
“Understood.” He licked his lips. “Now unless we’re gonna fuck on my desk before returning to the party, I suggest you let go of my dick.”  
James eased back her grip, rubbing the firm and impressive cock. He leaned in to kiss her but she leaned back. “I’m afraid you’ll have to try harder than that, Rodney. Set up another meeting with your brother as well and we’ll discuss guns.” He pushed his hips against her hand.  
“Alright, Ms. Bond.” He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger. His kiss took her by surprise, eager and demanding and delicious. Desire spun her belly as she returned it. His hooded blue eyes flicked from her mouth then back to her eyes. “Leave your number with the secretary.”  
Rodney moaned as she reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “How about I do this?” Rodney unlocked his phone and allowed her to enter her number. She slipped a sheer disc against the back of the phone, up-linking it to Q.  
“That’s even better, James.” Rodney swallowed and tilted his head. He wanted to kiss her again but thought better of it. “I’ll message you later with the details.”  
“Or you could call…” Rodney raised an eyebrow. “So that I know that it’s you.”  
“Very well, James.” She slid off the desk, putting her body extremely close to Rodney’s. He wanted her. A painful insistent need that came from nowhere. The question was, would Richard? And if he did, would he share?


	3. Chapter 3

Richard sat on the deck of the Circe’s Spell. He brought the delicate champagne flute to his thin pink lips. His startling blue eyes looked out over the marina, hidden behind dark sunglasses. The barest twitch of his eyebrow was the only indication he gave of hearing his valet approach with his guest.  
His gaze devoured her from her expertly manicured toes in the elegant sandals up her impossibly long legs to the pair of deck shorts and the navy satin camisole that flapped in the breeze off the water. Her nipples pressed against the fabric and from the breeze, he caught a glimpse of her ribs. He looked away from her and took a drink to hide the licking of his lips. Rodney had been correct in his assumption that his brother would want a taste. He wanted to savor her until he’d consumed her entirely.  
This one was trouble.

James grew impatient. Steele knew she was there. He nodded to the valet and looked right at her behind his dark sunglasses. Rather than make a big deal or squirm in wait, she sat in flourish and crossed her legs. The pictures and the knowledge they were identical twins did nothing to dissuade her enjoyment of the fact.  
She fought and failed at keeping a wry smile off her lips. Instead, she lifted her chin and looked out in the same direction he did, casually flicking open the button of her clutch purse and closing it again. She could think of worse ways to spend the afternoon than on a luxurious yacht with a handsome millionaire in the warm sun.

Each snap and click of the button made him twitch. He figured out she was doing it to get on his nerves. He finally turned and offered her a smile. “Champagne, Ms. Bond?”  
“Why thank you, Richard. And please, call me James.”  
She swooped up the champagne flute and brought it to her lips. “Ah, but I didn’t ask you to take the same liberty.”  
James set her luscious lips into a mou. “I thought we were friends. Rodney assured me we’d all be great friends.” She set down her full flute then settled back into the white cushion. “Or was he wrong in his presumption?”  
Richard set down his flute, the last bit bubbling in the bottom. “My brother has many lady friends.”  
“It was my understanding you do too.”  
Richard smiled. “Then you understand perfectly that your cunt will get you nowhere other than my bed and it holds no bearing in our business dealings.”  
“Oh I understand perfectly, Richard. But I’ll tell you the same thing I told your brother. If you want to fuck, we can fuck. But I came to the pair of you because I am in need of guns, and I was told that you two are the brothers to go to.”  
“As long as we’re both clear.”  
“As crystal, Mr. Steele.”  
“Please.” He swept off his sunglasses and offered her a charming smile and large hand. “Call me Richard.”  
James shook his hand firmly then he twisted them and brought her knuckles to his lips. She surprised him by pinching his chin with her own smile. “This was the list I was given.” She pulled a piece of stationary from the clutch. In a strong, masculine handwriting, a list of arms filled the page.  
Richard whistled. “Rodney wasn’t kidding when he said kitty had claws.” He dropped the sunglasses back on his nose. “This isn’t your handwriting.”  
“No, it’s not.”  
“And you’re not going to tell me whose it is.”  
“Well, I don’t see that as important.”  
It was Richard’s turn to pout. “Now, I thought you wanted to be friends, James.”  
“Oh I do.” She leaned forward and squeezed his knee. “But the gentleman who wrote that list? He doesn’t want to be friends. He doesn’t want to know where I get the arms. He just wants them. And he’s willing to pay a fair penny for them.”  
Richard didn’t like the sound of that. “I’ll not provide arms to any cause where English blood will be spilled.”  
“You have my word that none will.”  
Richard felt too far away from her to convey his threat and consolation so it died before it left his lips. “My pretty one, are you being forced into this?”  
James laughed. “Forced how? I’ve no gun to my head.”  
Richard folded the list and tapped the fold on his knee. He wasn’t fully convinced that she wasn’t in this for the right reason. And what was that reason? Money of course. In other words, he felt she had something to lose. He looked at her a moment longer then swept up the flute and downed the last mouthful. His hard gaze looked out over the water then back to her.  
“This could take a few days. Is that a problem?”  
“Not to my knowledge.”  
“Fantastic.” Richard stood and offered his hand to help her up. She took it and stood, Apparently, the meeting was over with. He escorted her to the gangway, his hand resting comfortably on the small of her back. “I’ll get your number from Rodney when I’ve located everything and give you the details.”  
“Excellent, Richard.” She turned at the foot of the gangway. His hand didn’t leave her, skimming along her waist. “It’s been a pleasure.”  
Richard rubbed his thumb over the fabric at her waist. He should like to take her below deck and make it a real pleasure. “In the meantime, my brother and I are having a little get-together tomorrow evening. I’d love to see you there.” His fingers extended over her hip to grasp her ass lightly.  
James smiled. “When and where, Richard?”  
He turned the smile. “Here, 7 p.m., semi-formal. Is that a problem?”  
“Not at all.”  
“Wonderful, I look forward to seeing you.” Richard shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched her walk away. Oh yes, this one was trouble.


	4. Chapter 4

James sat in the driver’s seat of the Jag, white knuckling the steering wheel. This wasn’t an op or an information run. It was simply a party. A party she had to attend because she needed to get on the good side of the Steele brothers. But likely she knew no one in attendance. Her hands twisted on the wheel again.  
“Bond, you alright? Your heart rate and respiration are elevated.”  
“I’m fine, Q. I just…I don’t like parties.”  
“You sure you’re alright, Bond?” James looked out the windshield at the brightly lit yacht and the glittering reflections of the lights on the water. She took a deep breath and answered M.  
“I’ll be fine, M.”  
James opened the door and unfolded herself from the seat. “For Queen and Country.” She shut the door with her hip and headed to the party like she owned the goddamn boat.

Rodney adjusted the knot of his tie in the mirror. He glanced at the reflection in the glass. “You invited James?”  
“Yes, brother.”  
“Excellent.” He smoothed the waistcoat against his muscular abdomen. “Mind if I take the first shot?”  
Richard’s grin in the mirror was indistinguishable from his own. “I do believe it’s game on, brother. First man to the finish.”  
“Right you are, old boy.” Rodney closed the closet door on the triplet mirror and it was like his brother wasn’t even there.  
He emerged on deck, a vision in a bespoke blue pin-stripe that immediately caught the eye of every female on deck. But he only had eyes for one. He smiled as he saw her winding her way through the partygoers. She looked lost and alone.  
This one was trouble.  
He ignored all attempts at conversation as his long legs closed in on her. His arm slipped around her waist and he felt her stiffen. But as he looked down at her and she up at him, he felt her relax, melting into the circle of his body. He smiled at her, that smile growing when she gifted him with a bright one of her own.  
“I’m glad you could make it, James.”  
“Be sure to thank your brother for me, Rodney.” She looked around and he felt his heart skip at her perfect profile. “Is Richard about?”  
“He’ll be around shortly. He’s charming the guests.” Rodney tipped her chin up. “Are you alright, James?” He could feel a slight tremble in her.  
She smiled sheepishly. “I’m fine. I not particularly fond of parties.” She went for honesty.  
“Would you like to go someplace quieter?”  
James looked around. “Are you sure? This is your party after all. Won’t you be missed?”  
“The only person I was looking forward to seeing is in my arms.”  
James ducked her head. “Come now, Rodney. We’ve only met once and exchanged a handful of messages.”  
He tipped her chin up again and surprised her by taking her lips. “You’re a mystery that I’m dying to solve.” She tucked her head on his shoulder as he escorted her away from the party. He locked their fingers together as he led her by the hand through the close corridors to emerge on a quieter upper deck.  
Rodney spun her around and circled her waist, pulling her body close. Her hips nestled between his. They danced to the music until a waiter arrived with two flutes of champagne. Rodney took his glass then handed her one. She set it lightly back on the tray.  
“Thank you, but I don’t drink.”  
“Ah yes, I remember you saying that our first meeting.” James looked out over the railing at the party. She thought she saw Richard in the cluster of people on the foredeck but Rodney pulled her away from the railing and into another dance. “Tell me about yourself, James.”  
“Not much to tell, I’m afraid.” He leaned her up against a partition that kept them both reasonably hidden. “I like good wine, good books, sushi, high end chocolate, and spending the evening with a combination of any of those. And high heels.”  
“There’s something about you, James.” His crystalline blue eyes skimmed her face then her throat then met her gaze again. “You’re not like the other women my brother and I have been with.” He fought the urge to kiss her again. Instead, he turned away from her and plucked a cigarette from his inner breast pocket. He offered her the pack but she shook her head. “You don’t drink. You don’t smoke. What do you do?”  
James grinned. “You’ll just have to figure that out, Adam Ant.”  
Rodney chuckled and tossed the cigarette away then closed the distance between them again. This time he didn’t fight the urge. He wanted her, needed her. He couldn’t explain why. She had this pull on him. His mouth covered hers and opened it for his tongue to claim. His leg came up between hers. James closed her eyes and gave herself over to the kiss. He was quite skilled and the delicious pressure his thigh put against her clit made her moan. He moved to kiss and bite her neck, palming her breast. “Come below deck with me.”  
James laughed breathlessly. “Are you sure you want a party full of guests to hear you fuck me? Because I’m not quiet. Nor do I enjoy a quiet lover.”  
Rodney cupped the side of her face. “Then we’ll go someplace else.”  
“Darling, you can’t leave your own party.”  
“I don’t care. I want you.” He kissed her long and deep after saying the words every woman longs to hear from a man they desire. “I need you.” They both felt his phone vibrate.  
“That’ll be your brother.”  
“Come to dinner with me tomorrow night.”  
“When and where, Rodney?”  
He grinned. “Be ready at five. I’ll send a car round to pick you up.” His phone vibrated again. “Don’t wear knickers, darling.” He kissed her again before leaving her breathless.  
James leaned back against the short wall and stared up at the stars. The intelligence she’d been given had told her Rodney was a man whore. But this man who she’d been sent to seduce was anything but. And in fact, she found herself the one being seduced.


	5. Chapter 5

James slowed to a stop at the fountain in Regent’s Park. Her lungs screamed for air and her calves burned. She bent forward to try to corral her breath, bracing her hands on her knees. When she straightened up, stretching her back, she finally noticed him. Richard waved. It was less of a wave and more of a five to the air. His lanky figure cut a sharp line down the path.  
“Out for a run?” His arm wound round her waist, pulling her against his side, and kissed her cheek.  
She nodded. “Out for a walk?”  
“Afraid not, you were my objective.” He pointed at her shoulder.  
“Me?” She took the moment to stretch. His gaze skimmed over her lithe body as she stretched. “Might I suppose that you have my arms ready?”  
Richard smiled, hiding his surging desire for her. “Not quite. Some of the items on your list are a little bit harder to find.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Actually, I wanted to see if you wanted to have lunch with me.”  
James grinned. “You could have called or texted.”  
“I could have. But you’re less likely to decline by my asking in person.”  
“You have a point. Where to then?” She gestured for him to take the lead, but he took her arm and walked side-by-side with her.  
“Do you have plans for the afternoon?”  
“Just a training seminar but I can reschedule.”  
“Excellent.” The driver held the door to the backseat open. She ducked in, slipping free of Richard’s arm. He slid in next to her and the driver closed the door. “To the marina, Jeofry.” James settled into the seat. “Drink?”  
“Bottled water, please.”  
“I’m afraid we’ve only liquor, darling.”  
She smiled. “I’ll wait until we reach the yacht then.”  
“You don’t drink?”  
“No.”  
“Might I ask why?”  
Richard settled into the seat, his body turned to face her with his arm along the top of the seat. She glanced out the window at the traffic then looked back to him. “I have a bit of problem. I like to drink entirely too much for my own good and the good of others. So I made the decision not to. Three years sober.”  
“Well, that’s fantastic.” He caressed her shoulder with the backs of his fingers then her neck. “Not that you were forced to make the decision, but that you made the decision and stuck with it.”  
“You’re welcome to drink. I won’t stop you.” She gestured to the tumbler he’d begun to pour for himself.  
“I’m fine. I’d rather like a clear head around you, James.” He laid his other hand on her knee. At times, she felt awkward. This attraction she felt for both Rodney and Richard, as if they were the same person. She told herself that it was because they were twins.  
She smiled again. “Are you afraid I’m going to try to pull a fast one on you?” She tossed her head which put her in his hand.   
Richard laughed then leaned closer. “I think you’re hiding something, James.” His thumb caressed her chin.  
“We’re all hiding something, Richard.”   
“Yes, but I don’t think you want to buy these arms from me. I feel as if you’re here against your will.”  
“Oh I’m very willing, Richard.” She kissed him by surprise. He stiffened at first then ravaged her mouth. His hand on her knee took hold of her thigh and turned her around in the seat. His body leaned over her, nestling between her open legs.  
“Tell me, James. Who wrote the list? What does he have against you? I’ll make it and him go away.” She swallowed and did the only thing she could think of to get him off this line of questioning. She wrapped her leg around his hip and locked their bodies together then kissed him again. He tried to pull away but her teeth claimed his tongue.  
Richard groaned and pressed into her. He hadn’t fooled around in the backseat since he was at university, and both he and his girl had roommates and were forced to fuck in his car. The motion of the car stopped and it took moment for Richard to calm his hips.   
The driver opened the door for them. Richard turned to the door and adjusted his hard cock so that it wasn’t jutting out. James bit her lip as she tucked her hair behind her ears. Their arms wound around each other’s waist. “Do you mind if we go out into open water?”  
“I don’t have anywhere to be until dinner with your brother.”  
Richard laughed. “I thought sure my brother would lose interest when it became apparent he’d have to do more than smile and let you feel how big of dick he had.”  
James followed Richard to the little dining area. She sat where he pulled out a chair. “Do you and your brother do this often?”  
“What’s that, love?” Richard poured her a glass of water then poured himself a white wine. James didn’t feel it or hear it when the motors started up and they slid over the water and out of the marina. A servant from the galley rolled up with a serving tray.  
“Compete for the same woman.”  
Richard tucked in to his shrimp. “Not often but it’s not unheard of. Rodney and I are promiscuous. We’ve slept with some of the same women, at different times, mind you. But our tastes are mostly different. You, James, are an anomaly.”  
James ate her salad. “Where is your brother?”  
“He’s at the manor house.”  
“You two are rarely together.”  
“We have a vast illegal empire, my pet. We can’t be joined at the hip.”  
James raised an eyebrow. “But you’re never seen together.”  
Richard slowed his chewing then swallowed. “No, we’re not. An accident nearly killed us when we were young and our parents became paranoid. They kept us separate in public.” He didn’t like this subject. It brought up painful, lonely memories. He chose to make light of it. “Why are you so interested, darling? Fancy a go with us both.”  
James grinned and brought the glass to her lips. “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.”  
Richard laughed. “You’re full of surprises, James.” He leaned back, forgetting his food. “My brother is quite taken with you.”  
“Oh?”  
“Yes, your first meeting seems to have twisted him up.”  
James took a healthy drink of water. “And what about you?”  
“Me? Haven’t you figured that out yet? Or should I be more direct?” Richard seized her about the wrist and waist. James squeaked and suppressed her first instinct to fight. He sat her astride his lap. “You make me forget every safeguard I’ve put in place. You’ve slipped past every wall I’ve built. And I have no fucking idea why.” He held the side of her face in his large hand. “I should kill you. You keep far too many secrets from me. And that pains me terribly. I want to know you. I haven’t desired a woman this fiercely and irrationally since I was a boy.”  
James shifted his hand to her throat. “Then do it.” He closed his hand on her, eyes darkening in an instant. Her breath caught off but she didn’t fight. Not yet. He plucked her round breast from the low cut tee shirt and bra and covered it with his mouth. Her throat convulsed as she attempted to gasp, drawing in a wisp of a breath.  
Richard lifted her by the throat, making her stand as he did. He laid her back on the table, china and crystal and silver clattering the floor. James’s lungs began to burn but she wasn’t in desperate need of air. Her eyes widened, showing more white. He opened his hand, his tongue plunging into her gasping mouth as he tugged the capri running pants off her hips.  
His hand closed around her throat again. This time she was able to breath more but not fully. He spread her open. His foot crooked around the leg of his chair and pulled it under him so that he could keep hold of her as he sat down. It helped he had long arms. There was no ceremony. He dove into her cunt, licking and sucking her clit. Her strangled moans croaked from her throat. He pushed two fingers inside her. Her body gave no resistance. She arched her back, gasping desperately for breath, for control. Her hands scrabbled on table, knocking over water and wine.  
Richard finally let go of her throat so he could hold her dancing hips. He groaned in delight as he tasted her cunt, devouring her pink flesh like a man starved. Her vision danced and swam from lack of oxygen and pleasure.  
~Q hit the override on her implant. “Bond? Are you alright?” She cried out as he slipped a finger into her asshole. “Your oxygen is low. Your heart rate and respiration are at dangerous levels, James. Answer.”~  
“Cum for me, James.” Richard whispered against her clit then licked the hardened nub just so and her world went white.  
“God yes, Richard! Yes!” His hands clamped around her thighs, disrupting her implant.  
~“Bloody hell, Bond!” The personnel in the room froze.~  
Richard quickly unzipped his trouser and freed his cock. He stroked with his hand covered in her cum. “Come on, darling.” He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and lifted her up. She slid off the table and to her knees between his wide spread ones.  
His fingers slipped into her hair as she took his cock in her mouth, her lips and tongue stroking and sucking him. “Christ.” He closed his eyes and let his head drop back. She wrapped her hand around him and stroked him with her mouth and hand. His grip tightened and he lifted his hips, thrusting in further each time. He pushed her hands away and used her mouth. His jaw set as he fucked her face. She gripped his thighs, bobbing her head into his thrusts. He looked down at the bewitching creature. Her eyes leaked tears, but she moaned in enjoyment. She wanted this. And he needed it.  
~Q recovered first. “Turn it off. Turn it off! Kill the connection! Now!”  
“Yes, sir.” The girl stammered as she clicked keys. “I can’t, sir. Your override won’t allow me.”  
“Bloody Hell.” He sat at the desk and typed rapidly. The connection terminated.~  
Richard grunted as he came down her throat in hot, pulsing spurts. He relaxed back in the chair. James laid her head on his thigh, breathing shallowly. “Are you alright, darling?”  
“Fine, just trying to catch my breath.”  
He leaned back and tucked himself into trousers. “Come here.” He gathered her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”  
“No, darling.” He kissed her throat where his fingertips had left red impressions. She laid her head on his shoulder. “Do you think this will make dinner with Rodney awkward?”  
He laughed, his eyes sparkling. “Interesting, not awkward.”  
“I can cancel if you want me to.” Richard’s smile slowly fell. He was touched by her offer.  
“No, James, keep the date.” He grinned then kissed her. He was eager to see which of them fucked her first.


	6. Chapter 6

The stars twinkled brightly in the night sky. That was helped by the stars bursting in her vision. James rolled her shoulders forward as she bore down on her orgasm. She tugged at the dark blonde hair of the head between her legs. Rodney groaned and pushed his face deeper into her cunt, fucking her with his tongue. The heel of her platform bit into the small of his back.  
“Christ, James!” He popped up from his knees and grabbed the back of her neck. His cum-soaked tongue wrestled with hers. She tasted herself on his tongue then he was over her, pressing that delicious cock she’d felt earlier to her sensitive flesh. “I want you. No, darling, I need you.”  
“Will you still love me in the morning?” She giggled.  
Rodney grinned. “I plan to be fucking you when the sun comes up.”  
“Are you sure about that? There’s morning joggers. You don’t want them to see your peachy ass hanging out the back door of the Audi.”  
“I don’t give a good goddamn who sees my ass so long as I’m buried balls deep in your cunt.”  
“So forward now, you are.”  
“I’ve tasted you and now I want more.”  
She combed her fingers through his hair. They’d a nice meal and laughed. Then they’d gone for a drive. That drive found them in a secluded park and her sprawled across the backseat with his head between her legs.  
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with your brother and I giving head this afternoon, would it?”  
He grinned even wider and settled more between her legs. “Only a little bit.”  
“Are you jealous, Rodney?”  
“Of Richie? Hell no.” He scoffed. “Alright maybe a little that he got to taste you first.” She laughed. “And you do taste divine, baby.” He leaned down and kissed her, drinking from her lips as he thrust his hard cock against her mound.  
“Is this exciting for you?”  
“What? Besides the obvious.”  
“Competing with your brother.”  
He frowned. He hadn’t really thought of it that way but it was. The thrill of the chase coupled with the thrill of competition with Richard. “Yes, it does. Does that upset you?”  
“If I’m to be a prize, I should get something out of this deal.”  
“You are a scrumptious prize indeed.” He kissed her again then dropped to her cleavage, licking and nibbling the tops of her breasts.  
James looked out the window at the moon. She swallowed and nearly choked as he pushed two fingers inside of her again. “Careful, Roddie.” Her eyes rolled closed as he sucked her clit again. “Oh fuck.” Her back arched and her hips came off the leather seat. Her breath came in a rapid pant as he brought her over the edge again. Her heel scraped down his skin.  
“Come home with me tonight.”  
“I can’t.”  
“Why not?”  
“Your brother-“  
“My brother will understand losing a bet.”  
“So I’m a bet, am I?”  
“That’s not what I meant. We haven’t wagered anything. Just a little friendly competition.”  
“To see who fucks me first?”  
“Yes, actually.” He kissed her thigh but she was not amused, thumping the taut muscle against the side of his head. “You haven’t seemed to mind.”  
“I’m no whore, Roddie.”  
“I know you’re not. So does Richie. I never meant to imply.” He propped himself over her. “I don’t want you to feel like that. And I’m sorry if you have.” She looked away. He took her chin and made her look at him. “Please believe me, baby. I’m so sorry.”  
“I don’t really know what to believe. Richard is acting like an alpha male and you’re acting like I don’t know what.”  
“Alpha male? How so?” Rodney sat on the seat and pulled her astride him.  
“He feels like I’m being coerced into buying the arms from you.”  
“From him. He handles the arms. I handle the money. And are you?” He played with her fingers then took her hands in his, caressing them and kissing them.  
James ticked that little bit of information away. “No, I’m not. I’ve tried to tell him.”  
“Then why are you?”  
“It’s hard to explain.” She looked down and began playing with his buttons, opening more of them to expose his defined chest.  
“Could you try?” He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted it so he could look in her eyes. “You can trust me.”  
James tugged the shirt free of his trousers. Her hands smoothed up his chest. He closed his eyes, savoring her touch. He’d been with his fair share of women. Looking back, they’d just been about getting off. With this mysterious little girl, he wanted to enjoy every kiss, every touch, every sigh and every moan. Her lips touched his pulse and felt it jump.  
“Can I, Roddie? I’ve known you and Richard a week. This is highly out of character for me. Fooling around with business associates I just met. Who are brothers.” She looked out the back window, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “Feels awfully whorish to me.”  
“Hey.” He took her shoulders gently but firmly and pulled her back to look at him. “You’re no whore. If you were, you’d have fucked me in the office that first day and we’d be done with each other. Right.”  
She swallowed. For reasons she couldn’t explain, this assignment cut too close to home, too deeply. She needed out. She’d call M in the morning. Demand a psych eval and get herself pulled from the mission. She could take a medical suspension. That wouldn’t damage her career or the 00 program. James’s attention drifted.  
Rodney’s large hands caressed up her thighs. “Where’d you go, pretty one?” She hummed and brought her attention back to him. His brow pinched. “Richie’s right. You’re hiding something.” He sighed and lifted her off his lap. “Let’s get you home, baby.” She nodded. Rodney left her in the backseat to her thoughts. Though his attention kept slipping to the rear view mirror. The sad, closed look on her face broke his heart in a way he wasn’t familiar with.


	7. Chapter 7

The sounds of the traffic drifted up to her from the street five floors below. She stood precariously on the rail of the balcony, with her arms spread wide. Her feet gripped the smooth stone. Wind whipped her hair about her head. With her eyes closed, she couldn’t tell if it was still day or if it had become night.  
Vaguely, she heard her apartment door open. That would be Rodney. Or maybe it was Richard. Or both. But not likely, she had her suspicions about that. He’d called her after she’d gotten off the phone with M, after she’d gone down to MI6 and requested a medical suspension and psych evaluation. He’d heard the crack in her voice and the slur of her words. Three years sober no more.  
“James?” She heard him call from inside her apartment. “Pet, where are you?” Richard. “Christ, James! What the bloody fuck are you doing up there!” He grabbed her bicep and jerked her down from the balcony railing and against him. She finally opened her eyes. He could tell she’d been crying and drinking but honestly, he couldn’t figure out which was more responsible for her red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes. He smoothed the hair back from her face. Her beautiful green eyes held a bottomless sadness underneath their glassy appearance. “James, how much have you had to drink?”  
“Not nearly enough to make it stop.”  
“Make what stop, darling?”  
“Everything…” She pushed away from him and leaned unsteadily against the door jamb.  
“James, talk to me.” This didn’t sit well with him. On a business level, but on a personal level more so. He’d had misgivings about this deal from the start and this worsened them.  
“Where’s Roddie?”  
“He’s in a meeting. He couldn’t get away. I was closer.” Richard looked down at the short table in the corner. Empty bottle of Glenlivet and an empty glass. “Come on, lovely, let’s get you cleaned up.” He put his arm around her shoulders and ushered her inside. She leaned against the counter, her head swaying with the amount of scotch she’d drank. Her eyes felt heavy.  
Richard ran cold water over a clean cloth then wiped her face. She let him. She looked at him but didn’t see him in the alcohol fog on her brain. He swept her up into a bridal carry and took her the bedroom. He laid her on the bed then sat next to her.  
“Tell me. What could have been so bad that you’d break 3 years sobriety?”  
James stared at the ceiling, letting the tears roll down her temples and into her hair. “I asked to be taken off the deal.” Richard flinched but she didn’t notice. “He demanded to know why.”  
“Who, James?”  
She ignored him. She still had enough sense to know not to tell him who. “I said I gotten too close you. To Rodney. I couldn’t trust myself to remain an impartial go-between. He told me feelings didn’t matter. He didn’t care if I loved either of you or both.”  
Richard’s head snapped around. Over the past few months, they’d gotten close, both brothers and her. Going out on the yacht, going riding, out to dinner and the clubs, out sailing and driving, staying in at the manor house or here in her apartment or on the yacht. They’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms countless times. And yet, her quip at their first meetings never came to fruition. She’d kept them from ‘sealing the deal’ so to speak. She’d yet to fuck either of them, though they'd done nearly everything but. Could this be why?  
“I told him to have someone else complete the deal. I couldn’t do it anymore. He said that everything depended on me. Without me in place, there was no deal. I told him I was fragile. I was compromised. I wasn’t thinking straight. He didn’t care. If I didn’t follow through, I’d be ruined…over.”  
Richard turned her to look at him. “And if I back out of the deal?”  
“Oh no! You can’t!” She sat up and seized his arm, her nails digging into the suit jacket. “They’ll know. They’ll kill me, Richie!”  
Richard jerked her against his chest and shushed her growing hysteria. He hated this. This wasn’t the captivating woman he’d met months before. This was a terrified, broken little girl. Normally, he would have cut his losses and left. But she’d slipped in and stolen his heart. And what would Rodney say?  
“Alright, James, hush, darling.” He held her and smoothed her hair. “Will he or they let you leave once we’ve completed the deal?”  
“I don’t know. Possibly.”  
He sighed. “Let me discuss things with Rodney.” He tilted her head back. “In the meantime, no more alcohol of any kind. Understand?” She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “This is not the woman I care for. You are stronger than this.”  
“You…care for me?”  
“Yes, my darling.” His worried eyes search her swollen, flushed face. “So does my brother.” He kissed her forehead then held her face, bracing his thumbs against her chin. “James, Rodney and I will do whatever you need us to do to protect you. To keep you safe. After the deal, I want-“ He looked down between them, avoiding her frightened eyes. “We want you in our lives, James.” James opened her mouth to say something, but he shook his head. “Get some rest, my love. I’ll be right here.”  
James swallowed and nodded. She thumped back on the bed, the better part of that bottle of scotch weighing her down. Richard slipped out of his suit jacket and kicked off his shoes before lying down beside her. She rolled to her side to snuggle his chest and soon fell asleep in the arm circle of his arm.

Fire crackled loudly in the fireplace. The acrid smoke lent its smell to the office. M stared at it. He’d hated to tell Bond no, but they needed to use her growing relationship with the Steele brothers to their advantage. So far, they’d managed to track down three of the brothers’ suppliers and two of their backers. MI6 had only gone after one of each though. They didn’t want to blow Bond’s cover.  
When she’d practically begged him to take her off assignment, to suspend her, he’d had to tell her no. He’d watched her face tremble then smooth out. She’d said ‘very well, sir’ then left the office in a hurry. He had an inkling that she’d been compromised but it shocked him none the less for her to admit it. And it shocked him even more when he learned she’d never asked to be taken off an assignment, even when she’d been tortured. He prayed to God she didn’t break or flip to the other side.

James lifted her head from the pillow. The light from the lamp on her nightstand blinded her and she flopped back face first into the pillow. Her mouth tasted like death and felt like she’d sucked on a dead rodent. She rolled over with her eyes closed then slowly opened them.  
Richard wasn’t in the bed with her anymore and she was naked. James sat up, the sheet falling away from her breasts. She looked around the room, smiling despite her disheveled person. Rodney sat in a chair not too far from the bed with his feet propped up. He typed rapidly on the laptop open on his lap, his handsome face pinched into stern lines. His glasses made him look older and different from Richard. Yet, they did nothing to detract from his good looks, doing just the opposite and making him lethally sexy.  
“Roddie, what are you doing here? Where’s Richie?”  
“He had to handle something.”  
She noticed her hair was damp. “Why am I naked and wet?”  
Rodney grinned. “That’s not a problem.” James laughed. “You threw up on your way to the bathroom when Richard was leaving. You got it all over yourself and in your hair. I helped you shower then put you back to bed.”  
“I’m so sorry, Rodney.”  
“Don’t be, darling. Richard explained everything.”  
James shook her head and swallowed but the lump in her throat wouldn’t go away. “No, I broke. I fucked up everything because I-“ She shook her head again. “And you had to clean me up like a fucking child.”  
Rodney set the laptop on her vanity and popped up out of the chair. “It’s what you do for someone you love. You take care of them.” Her eyes flicked back and forth before she looked at him. “Yes, James Bond, I love you.” He kissed her then, leaning her back until she lay down. He moved over her and situated himself between her thighs. He kissed her again and again, deep and long then short before pulling back. “Say you love me.”  
“What about Richard?” Her brow pinched. She’d never known she’d wanted love until it was staring out of the mesmerizing eyes of this handsome millionaire. So finding herself in love with not one man but two, and twin brothers at that, made everything more complicated.  
“He loves you too.”  
“Then why didn’t he tell me?” Though she vaguely remembered him saying he cared for her.  
“Richard doesn’t push things. He’s cautious, especially with women.”  
She smiled. “I love you. And Richard.” Rodney positively beamed and kissed her excitedly. She could feel him growing hard against her center. “I wish he was here and we could all consummate it.”  
Rodney laughed. “Consummate. You make it sound so formal.” He kissed her throat and down between her breasts. His back and thighs flexed as he rocked against her, growing harder. “I want to fuck you. Can we fuck yet? Or does Richie have to be here for that too?”  
James laughed. “He doesn’t have to be but it’d be nice.” She sighed as he kissed and nibbled his way down her belly.  
Rodney paused his kissing between her hips. “Does that get you going, baby? The thought of my brother watching me fuck you.” He skimmed the backs of his fingers along her thigh. “Me watching while he fucks you…us both fucking you in every possible way?”  
James closed her eyes and licked her lips then bit her bottom one. “Yes…” The one word was breathless and wanton. Rodney’s phone vibrated on the vanity.  
“Fuck.” He pushed off the bed, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. He opened the text message and his frown deepened. “Fuck.”  
“What is it, Rod?”  
He frowned as he sat on the edge of the chair and pulled his shoes on. “That was Rich. Something’s come up. He needs me.”  
She scooted to the edge. “Is he alright?”  
“He’s fine. Just something with one of our suppliers.” He leaned down and kissed her tenderly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. No more scotch.”  
She smiled. “No more scotch.”  
Rodney kissed the corner of her mouth, closing his eyes. “Promise me you won’t drink.”  
“I promise, Rodney.” He kissed the opposite corner of her mouth then brushed his lips back and forth. “I could come with you.”  
“No, baby, you rest. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He kissed her one last time then grabbed his suit jacket and left. James sat on the side of the bed, looking at the open laptop. It tempted her, begged her, accused her. She stood and crossed the room. If she tried to get into it and failed, she wouldn’t press. She would go back to bed.  
James tapped the keys. She entered her name and a pair of zeros. The screen unlocked. “Fuck.” She tucked her hair behind her ears then went to the nightstand. She pulled out what appeared to be a jump drive then plugged it into the first USB port on the side of the laptop. She tapped her implant in ear.  
“Q?”  
“Yes, Bond? Good to hear from you.”  
James sighed and clicked a few icons. “I’ve got a present for you.”  
“It’s not even my birthday.” He rubbed his hands together. “What have you got?”  
“Rodney Steele’s laptop. I’m cloning it right now.”  
“What? How?”  
“He left it in my apartment. And with that infernal device you gave me.”  
“Wonderful!”  
“I need you to do something for me though.”  
“What’s that, Bond?”  
“Meet me for coffee tomorrow.”  
There was an awkward silence on the other end of the line. "Sure, James.”  
“Good, I’ll see you then.” She removed the jump drive and turned off her implant. She dropped the drive into her drawer then crawled into bed. If she was going to betray not one but two people she loved, she was going to know why.


	8. Chapter 8

James looked at herself in the mirror. There black leather cat suit hugged every one of her curves. The red lensed goggles rested atop her head between the cute little cat ears. Richard and Rodney were throwing themselves a dress up party for their shared birthday. Rod had told her to dress in the manner of her favorite villain. She picked Catwoman from one of the Batman video games.  
With as snug as the suit was, she couldn’t wear anything underneath. Q complained about the pressure on her thigh implant. She’d told him to bugger off. There was no telling who was going to be at this party. The doorbell rang. That would be the driver the twins had sent for her.  
The heels of her boots clicked loudly through the apartment. She opened the door. Imagine her surprise. “M?”  
Her boss’s eyes widened at the get up. He felt acutely uncomfortable with her overt sexuality in the cat suit. “I wanted to catch you before you left.”  
She let go of the knob and walked away from him. Unconscious of the action, she hugged her arms around her waist. “Come in then.”  
M closed the door but didn’t move much closer. He held up a finger in the air then set down a small box. The lights flared bright red then flashed and became green. “Q told me that you cloned Rodney’s laptop.”  
“I did.”  
“He also informed me that it’s encrypted.”  
“So decode it. There’s hundreds of programmers who do this sort of thing every day. For you.”  
M blinked slowly, noting her use of you and not us. “We can’t. That’s what has taken so long. It’s some hybrid encryption. It’s useless.”  
James sighed. “So what? It’s my fault?”  
“It’s no one’s fault. But they’ve put the word down you have to complete the deal. Money has to change hands. Weapons have to change hands. The brothers need to be caught in the act.”  
“Fine. You could have sent me this in an email.”  
“They’re worried you’re compromised.”  
“I am! I told you so! You’ve bloody well known for months now.”  
“Are you going to betray the company?”  
“I haven’t in the past.”  
“That’s not an answer, James.”  
“I’ll do what needs done, M. Don’t you worry.” Her shoulder bumped his hard as she passed. “Now, I’ll be late for the party if you don’t get the Hell out of my house.” She opened the door and glared at him until he sighed and left. She slammed it with more force than intended.  
Another knock at the door. She whipped the door open. “What is it!”  
Rodney looked up at her then grinned. “Everything alright, baby?”  
“Fine, fine, just had an unexpected and unwanted visitor.”  
The leather and buckles of his costume creaked as he stalked closer to her. “Are you sure everything is fine?”  
The black wig made him look paler. The black, green and gold hugged his muscular body as well as costume armor could. “I’m fine. Who are you supposed to be?”  
“I am Loki of Asgard.”  
She shivered at the drop in his natural baritone. “You picked a Norse god as your villain?”  
“Marvel character. I’ve been told I resemble the gent who plays him.”  
“I wouldn’t know.”  
Rodney wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. “Such a pretty kitty you are, James. May I have the honor of peeling you out of this suit later?”  
“Like a little boy unwrapping his birthday present.”  
“I’m not little and I’m no boy but if you are my present, yes.” His lips found her pulse then bit. She moaned. “I know I’ve been difficult the last month, but I’m glad you convinced me to wait until my birthday.”  
His hands skimmed down her sides. “Birthday sex is always the best present.” She’d convinced the brothers to wait until their birthday to finally have sex. Any other woman would have been laughed at. The Steele brothers don’t wait for pussy. Let alone five months now. They’d sucked and licked and fingered, but she denied them the fuck. James was no fool. There’d be no going back. She had waited, praying the laptop would be her out. No such luck. But the last five months had given her a lot to think about.  
“Can I have my present now? I’ve been a good lad.” He went back to her neck, licking and biting.  
James laughed. “After the party.”  
Rodney pouted. “But it’s my birthday.”  
“Pouting is the opposite of sexy, Rod.”  
He sighed. “Alright. Let’s go.”  
“Where’s Richard?”  
“He’s out on the boat.” That didn’t surprise her. Richard loved the yacht and the sail boat. “He said he’ll be late to the party but I am to make sure you enjoy it.”  
“And who’s he going as?”  
“You’ll just have to find out.” She took his arm and let him escort her down to the car. Something niggled at the back of her mind. Before getting into the backseat, she turned and kissed him. He held her chin and ate her up before she pulled back and ducked into the backseat. She didn’t see Rodney looking in the direction of the black sedan. She didn’t see the smirk on his face when M looked away.

“A villain’s ball?”  
Rodney grinned at her as they waltzed in the crowd. “Don’t you love the irony, James?”  
She smiled. She had to admit it was clever. She’d spied several big names in the arms trade as well as the drug trade, and the UK and European crime syndicates. The majority had turned out in costumes, from cartoon and comics to iconic books and movies. Those that weren’t had dressed to the nines. Alcohol flowed freely.  
“Come with me.” Rodney clutched her hand, hurrying from the room. They ran up the stairs to his bedroom.  
“Roddie, we haven’t the time now. This is your party, my love.”  
“I don’t care.” He locked the door and stalked across the room to her. His mouth was on hers and his hands were undressing her. He tasted of champagne and chocolate. When his warm hands finally touched her warmer flesh, they both groaned.  
Rodney shoved the jacket off her shoulders. His mouth broke from hers as he cupped her breast. He leaned down to take the pert nipple into his mouth. She tugged the goggles and ears from her head. He growled and wrapped his arm around her waist, taking more of her flesh into his mouth.  
He panted. “I’m a spoiled boy, James. I want my present now.” She laughed. “Off with the pants and the boots.” His hands made quick, expert work of the costume while she peeled herself out of the skin tight leather pants. He took her mouth again as he tackled her to the bed. She giggled as he rolled them over. His hands caressed her belly and breasts as he stared up at her.  
James worked her hips, sliding her wet slit along his hardening cock. Rodney sat up and took her other breast in his mouth, moaning at her teasing. “Please, James.” His teeth scraped her sternum. He’d been a good boy. He’d waited. He’d been patient. He’d even been abstinent. Her cunt was the only one he wanted to fuck. And he needed it. Almost painfully.  
“Lay back then, Rod.” He settled on his back once more, shifting underneath her. His palms skimmed up her thighs. She rolled her hips, teasing him more. Each time the head of his cock poked out between her legs, she gripped it. His glazed eyes flicked from her teasing to her face. His chest rose and fell in a rapid pant. His lips parted more each time until his mouth hung open.  
“Please, baby, no more teasing.”  
She held out her hand. “Condom?”  
He blinked. “Fucking hell, top drawer.” She leaned over him to open the drawer. Her breasts dangled in his face. He couldn’t resist grabbing them both and holding them to his face. He drew in a deep breath of her. He couldn’t describe, nor place it. But it was soft and inviting. He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheeks back and forth, nuzzling her breasts.  
James sat back on his thighs. She placed the condom against his tip. His head dropped back. No words could describe that slow roll. It should feel awkward because it was a purposeful barrier. But it didn’t. It shot down his spine and caused his cock to twitch in her hand. He couldn’t open his eyes but he did. He looked up at her with something of awe as she lowered slowly onto his considerable cock.  
Her lips parted at the stretch of him. He filled her and that pleasure shot through her. His hands flew to her hips as she began to move. So this…this is how it felt to make love to a woman. Not just fucking. Not just sex. He worshipped her body. His hands touched where they could reach. Her thighs, her hips, her ass, her belly and her breasts. He couldn’t lay still. He sat up and kissed her, sucked and bit her neck and breasts. She laughed, trying to ride him as he moved. He kept changing his angles.  
Rodney rolled them over so that he was on top. He opened her thighs more, settling snuggly between them. He grabbed the head board and used it for leverage. His hips drove his thick cock deep into her quivering cunt. He kissed her, muffling her cries for a moment then he buried his face in her neck. His breath and moans thundered in his ears.  
James arched off the bed and dug her nails into his shoulder blades. “I’m cumming, Rodney. I’m cumming!” Her breathless, harsh whisper pushed him over the edge more than her cunt seizing around him, more than her orgasm wetting the bed beneath them.  
His hand slid down the headboard as he collapsed onto her. He kissed her, plunging his tongue into her mouth. “My god, I love you, James.”  
James looked into his startling eyes. “I love you, Rodney.” She knew the words and the feelings were not part of this mission. And there was no going back. She was well and truly compromised. He lay down next to her, their heads and shoulders touching. He tossed the condom into the beside bin. She rolled over and touched the scar on his forehead. “You’ve never told me where this scar is from.”  
“That one.” He settled back into the pillows, tucking his hand under his head. “The same one Richard has.” She nodded. “It’s the scar. THE scar from THE accident.” He traced his fingers down her spine then back up.  
“Tell me about it.”  
He sighed. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with James, even though he knew her secret. He wanted her to come to him, to tell him the truth. All would be forgiven with her confession. Then the three of them could live happily together. “Mum and dad, Richie and I were out on the sail boat. It was a beautiful day but a squall came up quick. A knot came loose and the rigging bashed Richie in the head and knocked him over the side. Dad and I dove in after him. He reached him first. I was too close to rigging when I jumped and my feet got tangled. The unsecured sail bashed me against the boat until I lost consciousness.”  
“How awful.”  
“It’s why I don’t go on the sail boat anymore. I don’t see how Richie can. I suffer the yacht because that’s where we were able to spend most of our time together.”  
James’s brow pinched. “Your parents really kept you apart?”  
Rodney caressed her cheek. “They did. I barely saw Richie after the accident. And we’re never in public together anymore.”  
“That had to hurt.”  
“It did. I can’t speak for Richie, but I was very lonely without him. It’s better now that we’re older. We see each other more.”  
“But never in public.”  
“No, never in public. That’s more a security precaution now though, James.” James leaned up and kissed the scar. “You going to tell me what upset you this afternoon?”  
“My boss.” James rolled and cuddled into his side. His fingers caressed the bottom curve of her breast.  
“And?”  
“He’s grown impatient. He thinks you’re stringing us along and trying to get me away from him.”  
“I’ll talk with Richie. See what the holdup is. But your boss is correct about one thing.”  
James hummed. “What’s that?”  
“We are trying to get you away. It’d be easier if you helped us.” A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. “Yes?”  
“Mr. Steele, there’s a gentleman not on the guest list wanting to speak with you.”  
Rodney sighed and sat up, forcing James to sit up as well. “I’ll be right down.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her one last time. “Back to the party then, baby.”


	9. Chapter 9

The emcee moved up to the top of the stairs with a microphone. “Welcome, welcome all you bad boys and bad girls.” A drunken, raucous cheer exploded. “To the annual celebration of birth for Richie and Roddie Steele!” Another loud cheer. “The brothers are 35 years young. We could all be so lucky to be as bloody handsome as they are, as well as rich and successful. As we all become richer and more successful.” A third cheer. “Oh look! Here’s one the birthday boys now!”  
“Oh my god.” James burst out laughing. Richard climbed the stairs, decked out like a twisted clown on acid. His bright green hair and white grease-painted face glowed like a beacon. His mouth was a cartoony red gash. He was none other than the Joker.  
“Thank you. Thank you all.” He raised his tumbler. “My brother Rodney has been unfortunately called away for the rest of the evening but you have me to entertain and celebrate.” James frowned. Rod didn’t say anything about leaving. She started to reach for her phone but remembered she’d left everything at her apartment. The costume didn’t offer much room for anything. “Rodney and I thank you all for coming. Especially you, James.”  
James blushed as he raised his glass. Everyone in the room assumed he was addressing a man. The emcee took the microphone back as Richard handed it off. She made her way to the edge of the room as he descended the stairs.   
Richard pulled her into his arms at the foot of the stairs. “Happy birthday, Richie.” She beamed at him.  
“My my, miss pretty kitty, you’re looking a bit flushed.” James blushed even more. “I know you haven’t been drinking. Are you embarrassed?”  
“Of course not.”  
“Or maybe you’ve been rolling around in the sheets with Roddie.”  
James grinned and looked offended. “He was the one that did the rolling.”  
Richard, already in his cups, emptied the tumbler. “I’m fresh out, love. Let’s go get a drink.” He kept her tight against his body as they weaved their way through the crowd. James let him press her up against the bar as they waited for the bartender. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a henchman, for lack of a better word, that she’d had a run in with in Paris. She hoped the music covered her squeak as she flicked the goggles down into place.  
“Rich, why don’t we head upstairs so that I can give you your birthday present?”  
“It’s not a blowjob is it? Because I got one of those last year and the damn thing just made a mess.” She could tell he was slipping into drunk. “Jamesy baby, why did you cover your pretty face?” He reached for the goggles but now the Parisian thug was looking in their direction so she ducked.  
“I’ve got to run to the loo. I’ll be back in a tick.” She darted off to the hall.  
“James!” She didn’t stop or look back at Richard’s shout. “Ja-James! Bloody hell.” He made his way through the crowd in the direction she went. The press of people opened up just before the doorway and he entered the hall. A hand on his elbow stopped him. He looked at it pointedly, raising an eyebrow.  
The man lifted his hand. “My apologies, Mr. Steele.”  
“Did you want something?”  
“I wanted to warn you about that girl.”  
“What girl? James?”  
“Yes, the one dressed as Catwoman.” Richard didn’t respond. “She is not trustworthy, monsieur. She is a spy. A whore for MI6.” The crowd around gasped as Richard’s fist shot out and took the man by surprise. He staggered back but Richard popped him in the face a second and third time before he fell into a man dressed like the bad man in the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.   
The security guards that the Steeles paid good money for finally were put to use. They escorted the man from the party. Richard checked the hall bathroom but didn’t find her. He continued down the hall to the office she’d first met Rodney in. His little feline love stood in the moonlight, her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her.  
“I thought you had to pee.”  
“I did.” She didn’t offer any explanation.  
His lips touched her rabbiting pulse. “James, are you alright?” Even through the fog of alcohol and righteous anger, he could tell that something had spooked her.  
“It’s been a hell of a day.” She turned in his arms and wrapped her around his neck. She kissed him smearing his make-up.  
“I had wanted our first time together to be somewhat romantic.”  
She grinned. “Isn’t this fitting though? A cat burglar and a career criminal in a business office”  
“Cheeky.” He spun her around, getting her to laugh then planted her on the desk. He wasted no time in getting the zipper of her snug leather jacket down and his large hands on her breasts. He kissed her repeatedly, massaging her breasts. James wrapped her leather clad legs around him. “I need you naked.”  
She shrugged out of the jacket. Their hands flew to her waistband. Everywhere he’d kissed, the greasepaint makeup had smeared her, marked her. “I love your scar.” She kissed the scar on his upper lip. Rodney had the exact same one.  
He groaned as she tugged his lip with her teeth. “Which one, darling?”  
“This one.” She ran her tongue along it then squealed. He moved, quick as a viper, and plunged his tongue between her lips. They danced together like that. Her palms glided over his shoulders then popped the buttons of his shirt open.  
“You can thank rugby for that.”  
“And for Rodney’s?”  
He chuckled. “No, that one was a car door to the face.”  
“A couple roughnecks you are.”  
“Aye, can you handle that?”  
“Oh most definitely.” Richard took a step back so that James could slide off the desk. She peeled the leather pants off, stepping out of them as he made quick work of his costume. He kissed her with barely restrained passion then spun her around.  
James bent over the desk and lifted her ass. She gasped at the push of his cockhead against her swollen entrance. He laid his hand flat against her back and eased himself in. He released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. She rocked forward then braced her knees against the desk and pushed back against him.  
Richard chuckled, dark and low. She tightened around him. He gasped. His hands grasped her hips then he fucked her hard. James’s cries echoed off the varnished wooden walls of the office. She heard him behind her, grunting and gasping. He’d wanted this since the day on the boat. He lifted her knee onto the desk, opening her up to him. He reached between her legs and strummed her clit.  
James’s face scrunched up as her orgasm built. His cock hit her sweet spot every time he shoved deep into her then bumped her cervix. “Oh fuck. Oh Richie. Oh god, I’m cumming!” He slowed, letting her float on her orgasm. Her cum ran down his thighs. It dripped off the desk and darkened the carpet. Lucky boys, they were to be blessed with a girl that squirted when they fucked her well.  
He leaned down and kissed her ear. “We haven’t a condom, darling.” He teased his fingers through her sopping pussy lips. “I want to cum inside you. So you can swallow me…we can risk it…or I can take you in the ass.” Each option, he’d stroked his cock inside her slow in and out, teasing her sensitive clit with his wet fingertips.  
James thought, swallowing. She sighed at his slow in and out. She’d swallowed him several times over the last 5 months. Not that she minded. She loved giving him and Rodney head. And she most definitely could not risk a pregnancy right now. She had her hands full worrying about her own safety and well-being, let alone a child. But the thought of a child with either brother didn’t disappoint her or terrify her.  
“The ass.”  
Richard shuddered. He pulled out of her, stroking his cock to stay hard as he looked around for something to use as lube. Then remembered this was Rodney’s office. He opened the bottom drawer. Condoms and lube, a couple sex toys and dirty magazines. It would have been simple to put a condom on. But Rodney got to fuck her first. So he’d get her ass first.  
She heard the cap of the bottle and the lewd sound of the lube. She looked back over her shoulder. His large hand stroked his cock, keeping it hard and close to cumming. He looked at her, giving her every chance to say no. He covered her tight muscle ring in the lube, even coating her cunt in it and rubbing her clit. He licked his lips, watching her part hers.  
Richard watched her face flush darker in the moonlight as he worked a single finger into the tight muscle. James’s stomach clenched hard in need and response. A second finger joined the first. He stroked his cock in time with the motion of his finger in her anus. He swallowed and added a third finger. Her whimper nearly set him off. He worked her muscle ring, stretching it so she wouldn’t be hurt by his size. He withdrew his fingers then applied some more lube.  
James whimpered as he pressed the head of his cock against her. Richard swallowed, easing forward. There was something about watching that tight muscle stretch that drove him wild. It was purely erotic to watch his cock disappear into any of her holes. The muscle stretched enough and he popped through. He fought to control himself, breathing through his nose. His hips trembled with his restraint.  
She pushed back into him. That was all the encouragement he needed. Richard leaned over her, wrapping his arms underneath her shoulders. His face pinched in nearly painful ecstasy with each hard deep thrust into her. James leaned up into him, pushing her ass back into each thrust. One hand sought her clit while one held onto the desk. He grunted in answer to her short barking moans. Her body clenched as she came a second time. Richard choked on his groan then let go of his control. Then he was cumming.  
Richard nuzzled her shoulder, breathing in the scent of her. “God, I love you.”  
James felt the tightness in her chest and the tears sting her eyes. She licked her lips and got a handle on herself. “I love you, Richie.”  
He stood up, pulling out of her, and then turned her around. His sated smile faded at her tears. “James, did I hurt you?”  
She shook her head, wiping her tears away. “No, no, you didn’t, my love.” She kissed him, but the tears didn’t stop. “Do we have to go back to the party?”  
“Not if you don’t want to.”  
“I don’t. Can we just go to bed? Where’s Roddie? I want to snuggle up with both my loving men.”  
“Of course, darling.” Richard swept her up into his arms. He carried her out of the office, up the rear staircase and down the hall to his bedroom. “Rod had to go handle something. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”  
“Is everything ok?”  
“Everything’s fine, James.” He set her on her feet then pulled the covers back. She crawled into the big bed. Snuggled in Richard’s arms, her dreams were plagued with the questions that haunted her heart.


	10. Chapter 10

The manor house sat quietly in the English countryside. Somewhere in the kitchen, the staff was preparing breakfast for Rodney and Richard, as well as James. Servants had begun to clean up the mess from the party.  
James woke to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. Other sounds drifted in; the lawn mower, music playing somewhere, Richard’s steady breath next to her. It would have been so easy and simple for her to roll over and fall back asleep against his body. Maybe even tease him awake for some morning sex.  
Instead, she slipped from the bed, looking over her shoulder at him as she pulled on one of his tee shirts from a stack of clean laundry and the boxers he’d worn last night. Barefoot, she snuck from the room, leaving the door cracked. Rodney’s bedroom door was shut. She paused. Her hurt momentarily swelled up that he’d left last night without letting her know.  
She hurried on down the hall to the rear stairs Richard had carried her up then along the back hallway back to the office. She sat down at the computer and began typing. Rodney’s computer. It wouldn’t do her any good to clone anything from here. It was no doubt encrypted by the same complex code that his laptop was. She’d left her phone at home so she couldn’t take pictures.  
Her breath left her when she saw their client list, cheekily saved at ‘party guests’. The twins dabbled in high stakes international trade. She opened a document titled ‘party favors’. Her belly twisted with the items on the list. Some were on the list she’d given them to acquire. Some were from her nightmares.  
She looked up as Rodney leaned against the door jamb. She clicked everything closed. “Find anything interesting, baby?”  
“I didn’t know you were up.” She frowned. “Or even home. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”  
“Well, I did send you a text.” A text he knew she wouldn’t get because he knew she didn’t have her phone. “But you’re skirting my question.” He crossed the room. James stood up, keeping the desk between them. “Jamesy baby, you didn’t think I wouldn’t have my computer alarmed? My laptop even?”  
“So you know.”  
“I know you messed with my laptop. Not what you did. What did you do?”  
“I cloned it.”  
“Why?” He moved around the desk as did she.  
“Does it matter? It was useless with your encryption.”  
“Who are you?”  
“Does that matter?”  
“Yes, I’d like to know if I fell in love with a lie.”  
“You didn’t.”  
Rodney made a face. How could he believe her? “Who are you working for?”  
“I can’t tell you.”  
They circled the desk until he stood behind it. “I saw him last night. Whoever he is, in the car.” He reached down and clicked the mouse a few times; reopening the documents she’d just viewed. “Did you scroll down far enough on the list? I’m sure you’ll find interesting names…”  
“It’s all useless information without proof.” James broke for the door.  
“James!” She looked over her shoulder to see him gaining on her. She rounded the corner and crashed into a servant with their breakfast. “James, stop!” She shielded her face and neck as she jumped through one of the French doors and onto the patio. A piece of glass cut the bottom of her foot, leaving a bloody trail as she limped to a hiding place.  
She crouched behind a thick hedgerow. The sound of the lawn mower covered the sound of her breath. She glanced at her bleeding foot. The glass was still wedged in the meat of the sole. She’d have to run on her toes. She could try to pull it out now but she ran the risk of making noise and giving her position away.  
A twig broke behind her. She turned but an arm had her throat. Rodney hushed her as he put pressure on her windpipe. She pulled at his arm, digging her nails in his flesh. Her vision exploded with white stars as her oxygen decreased. She fought less and less until he finally put her out.

Voices floated to her in a semi-conscious state. She felt the ice pack on her head and the bandage wrapped around her foot.  
“What are we going to do with her?”  
“Nothing.”  
“Nothing? What do you mean ‘nothing’?”  
“Exactly what I bloody said. Nothing, Richard. She hasn’t GOT anything.”  
“We still don’t know who she is.”  
“No…we know who she is. We don’t know who she’s working for. Come now, brother, you don’t think I wouldn’t have vetted her before agreeing to speak with her.”  
“Right, right, I trust you, brother. So, now what?”  
“Do you really love her?”  
“I do.”  
“So do I. We have to get her to tell us everything.”  
James opened her eyes and looked at Rodney. She couldn’t see Richard. “What makes you think I’ll tell you anything?” Rodney glanced behind her over the couch, but she couldn’t see.  
He crouched next to her. “I could have killed you, ya know. Strangled you or snapped your neck. I didn’t. Because I love you, despite your lies.” He reached for her, ignoring her flinch, to smooth the hair back from her forehead. “Richie said all could be forgiven if you just tell us the truth.”  
James closed her eyes against her headache. She knew it to be from lack of oxygen. “What if I don’t?”  
“James-“  
“Will you kill me?”  
“Is that what you want?”  
She laughed and it tore right through her head. “Of course not.”  
Rodney turned her to face him. “Then tell me. Richard and I love you. We’re not going to abandon you because of lies you were forced into. All you have to do is tell the truth.”  
James looked at the ceiling then looked at Rodney. “Will you give me a few days?”  
“For?” Rodney sighed. “Fine. But I prefer you not leave. I’m sure Richard would agree.”  
“Fine, will you bring me a few things from my apartment?”  
“Yes.”  
“And one more thing.”  
“What’s that?”  
“I need you both to be completely honest with me. I won’t be in some polyamorous relationship with twin brothers who deal in criminal things with evil men without knowing you’re both telling me the truth.”  
“We can handle that.” Rodney straightened up and left the room. James sat up, gingerly placing her injured foot on the floor. She looked over her shoulder for Richard. He’d apparently left the room as well. She glanced up at the mirror above the mantle, taking in her disheveled reflection.


	11. Chapter 11

James stood on the bow of the yacht. The wind whipped at her hair and the flowing skirt. She talked softly into the phone. “Are the cameras in place?”  
“They are. Remember. The money must change hands.”  
“And then?”  
“Once they take you to the product and we’ve got video, we’ll make the arrests.”  
James looked out over the water. “I’m trusting you with my life on this, M.” She ended the call then turned to Richard. “Ready to go?”  
“All ready. Have you got the money?”  
“Right there, darling.” She pointed to the two stainless steel briefcases.  
Richard pulled her gently into his arms. “Are you ready for this?”  
“It’s my job, Richie. I have to be.”  
He frowned then leaned in and kissed her. He felt her chest tighten in his arms. He really looked into her face as he pulled away. His long fingers caressed her cheek. “Let’s pose pretty for the pictures.”  
She laughed, their arms lingered together until she was closer to the briefcases. She made a show of opening both cases and showing the money inside. She knew somewhere close by in the marina an agent with high power lens camera took pictures of the exchange.  
“Excellent.” She closed the cases. He took one and she took one then walked hand in hand off the boat. “What’s the first thing you’re going to buy?”  
“Hmmm, I haven’t thought that far ahead.”  
They climbed into the Porsche Boxster. The engine rumbled to life. He leaned over and gave her a kiss, claiming her mouth for his own. She glanced over her shoulder. She would never know it, but she looked right at the camera. The last picture taken of her was smiling.  
~  
Q sat down at the table in the café. He didn’t recognize James. Then he made himself remember that he was looking at one of the few women who finished top of her class in a boys club that went back nearly a century.  
“Hello.”  
“Hey. So did you find out what asked you too?”  
“Yes and you’re not going to like it.”  
~  
The Boxster pulled up in front of a warehouse. It would later be found to be abandoned. It’s last known owners dead for years on. She made out the van across the street. Though it would have been nearly impossible, she thought she heard the telephoto lens taking pictures as they walked into the building.  
Richard reached out his hand for hers as she came around the front of the car. He pulled her into his body. “I can’t wait to see you lying naked on the beach. Your skin pink from the sun and salty from the ocean.”  
She grinned against his mouth. “Are we going to recreate the scene in From Here to Eternity only a little more risqué?”  
“You better believe it, my little spy girl.” She laughed. Again, the last photo taken of her was in the middle of a laugh. Richard put his body between her and the van and ushered her in the door.  
~  
Q looked up from between her legs. He pushed his glasses up then pressed the scalpel to her leg. Blood welled then ran down her thigh. “You’re sure about this?”  
“You saw that memo.”  
He sighed. “He’s not going to punch me for causing you pain, is he?” Q glanced at Rodney who sat on the bed next to James. He held her hand tightly.  
“No, but I might for being annoyed. Just take the bloody thing out of her.”  
Q sighed again. “There’s no going back, James.”  
“Just do it, Q. Even if I wanted to, there’s nothing to go back to.” Q popped out the implant in her thigh. “Christ in Hell!” Strings of tissue and thin wires pulled from the wound.  
“You there, hold pressure on this.” He held the gauze tightly to the bleeding wound then let Rodney take over. “Turn your head, James. This one is going to hurt worse. Want me to numb it?”  
“No.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes.” James looked down at Rodney. His face was frowning mask. He was uncomfortable with her pain even though he knew it was necessary. He’d seen the memo they were referring to. There was no other way. He looked away as the little man began to cut into her ear.  
~  
To: M  
From: C  
Agent James Bond has been compromised. If she cannot carry out her duties in this mission, she will be charged with treason and executed on sight. Furthermore, due to her unprofessional behavior on this mission, should she carry out said mission, she will be disavowed and retired from service without severance.  
~  
Q finished stitching her ear then moved back to her thigh. He attempted to signal James with his eyes. She squeezed Rodney’s hand. “Baby, can you go to the kitchen and fix me some ice for my ear? And fetch me some aspirin for the pain?”  
“Of course.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles.  
Q waited until he was out of the room. “I looked into why the Steeles were never together in public.”  
“There’s no need for that.”  
“Call it my professional curiosity.” Q stitched the thigh wound closed then bandaged it. “It’s because they’re the same person, James.”  
“I know, Q.”  
“You must be careful.”  
“Q, I know.” The young man sat on the edge of the bed. “I had my suspicions. So I checked into it myself. Richard drowned on the boat that day. But due to the head injury, Rodney couldn’t cope. He developed a second personality as Richard. Their parents had no idea what to do so they withdrew him from school and had him home tutored. They paid to have all knowledge of his death removed from public records. They fed the delusion so they wouldn’t lose both sons. The split personality became a mental chimera-ism. He absorbed Richard’s personality, his mannerisms, his likes and dislikes.  
“When Elizabeth and Denis Steele were killed in the car accident, all knowledge of Richard’s death and its erasure went with it. The only person who knew that Rodney was both brothers was in fact, Richard. The second personality.”  
“So how do you know this?”  
“I told them mine…they told me theirs.”  
“So you’re alright with this?”  
James looked up as Rodney walked back into the room. “I love them both.” She smiled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”  
~  
The explosion shattered the windows of the surrounding buildings. The van across the road and cattycorner from the building was blown over onto its side. Fire and rescue couldn’t put out the blaze for several hours. Even then, they couldn’t find any survivors. The bodies removed from the charred wreckage were identified as missing persons among the homeless. They found one of a pair of heels that matched the ones James had been wearing when she entered the building near the blast’s epicenter.  
M would later find that like all good agents, James held nothing of true importance or knowledge in her apartment. There were no ‘personal effects’ in the antiseptic staged life she’d led as an agent. He took a modicum of comfort in knowing that in the last pictures taken of her, James Bond was happy.


	12. Epilogue

The resort’s waiter trudged through the sand. The tips were worth the effort, but he hated having to trek out into the hot sun to deliver whiskey and virgin daiquiris. He knocked on the pillar.  
“Mr. Bond?”  
The curtain of the bungalow was pulled back. The grinning man with the peeling nose struggled to catch his breath. “Just set it on the table, mate.” The waiter sighed. “Oh, just a second, your tip.” The curtain fell open slightly as the weight of the rings moved them along the bar.  
The young man’s eyebrows shot into his hair line at the stunner in the bed. She wiggled her fingers at him but made no move to cover her breasts. “Richie, tip the boy extra.” He realized the man who’d answered the curtain was buck naked as well.  
“Of course, darling.” He handed the boy a $50 bill. “A man’s work is never done. Insatiable little minx, my wife. Enough for two men.” He winked at the waiter then pulled the curtains.


End file.
